


blue petals on a red sky

by timeblitz



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Constipation, Feels, Flowers, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Mount Silver, Mountains, Mutual Pining, Petals, Pining, Pokemon Gym Leader(s), Shitennou | Elite Four (Pokemon) - Freeform, Snow, Unrequited Love, Vomiting, blue and red are dumb and precious, but not good ones, gold is a little shit and i love him, idk how else to tag this, me too bud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 20:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16794322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeblitz/pseuds/timeblitz
Summary: Red finally won the title of Champion. It wasn't what he had hoped for though. Petals fall to the floor. Blue always knew Red would best him once and for all.





	blue petals on a red sky

**Author's Note:**

> I'm never sure whether to call him Blue or Green because of the version differences and whatnot but I've been playing Let's Go and he's Blue there so that's what I went with this time!  
> I was thinking about trying to make a podfic with this!If you'd be interested in an mp3 version of this fic lemme know

He had won. Just barely, but he had won. Pikachu scurried back to him, happily chirping and shaking his tail, his injuries forgotten in the surge of excitement. Red felt that excitement too, how could he not? After all that time, maybe now…

Blue returned his fallen Pokemon to its ball, his face tilted down so Red couldn’t see his expression. “You’re the new Pokemon Champion. Although I don’t like to admit it,” he said slowly. “I-”

“Red!” A voice cut him off as the Professor rushed into the room. “So you won! Congratulations! You’ve grown so much since you first left my lab with Pikachu.” Blue shot a hesitant glance at his grandfather who returned it with a stern look. “Blue. I’m disappointed. I came when I heard you beat the Elite Four. But, when I got here you had already lost. Blue, do you understand why you lost? You-”

“Whatever!” Blue snapped. “I lost, it happens. I don’t care!” He stormed off, hooking his Pokeball to his belt with one hand and rubbing at the corner of his eye with the other. The sudden guilt that overcame Red was crippling. It wrapped around his heart with an uncomfortable squeeze. He took a step towards the door, intending to follow after him but a hand grabbed his arm and gently turned him back around.

“Pay no mind to him,” Professor Oak murmured. “He made it all the way here but he still has so much more to grow. He just needs to get over the shock of losing, then I’m sure he’ll be right back here challenging you again.” He gave a quick clap. “Come Red, we need to get your team registered!”

He let the Professor guide him away be he still looked back, hoping he’d catch another glimpse of Blue. Hoping he’d get confirmation it would be okay. He didn’t. Something felt like it was growing in the back of his throat but he ignored it and gently pat Pikachu’s head.

\----------------------------------

Maybe he had been going about it all the wrong way. Red felt like he had spent his whole life trying to impress Blue, trying to prove he was good enough. He thought if he could become Champion then maybe, just maybe, Blue would finally acknowledge him as an equal. He had only become more resolved to reach that goal as his journey went on. Every encounter with Blue had sent his heart hammering and filled him full of hope. Maybe this victory would be the one to change his mind. But no, every time he lost Blue just seemed to become more and more stubborn.

A single blue petal forced its way past his mouth but Red ignored it. Just like he always did.

It had been a week since his bittersweet battle. In that time, only two people had managed to make it past the Elite Four and neither had come close to beating him. Neither of those two people had been Blue.

Red had tried contacting the Professor but all the old man had to say was, “He’ll come around, don’t worry.” Blue’s sister, Daisy, had been much more informative. “He’s locked himself up in his room. It’s not the first time he’s gotten in a funk like this, but it’s still a little worrying.”

He read over her message a million times, his guilt renewing with each word. The small pile of petals in the trash grew. Yes, he certainly had gone about this all wrong. He had tried to gain Blue’s attention in the worst way possible and now his victory was a loss. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to be Champion. Sure, getting to battle strong trainers was just the kind of fantastic challenge he enjoyed, but what was the point when he was too caught up in his own head to have any fun?

True, he wasn’t going easy on anyone. He was still doing his newly appointed job and all, but could he truly stand proud and call himself Champion when he wasn’t sure his challengers were getting anything out of their fight? He needed to fix his head. He needed to do something. He knew what that something was, of course. Red had to finally confess to Blue, clear his heart and head once and for all.

A flurry of petals erupted from his chest. He could never face Blue in that way. So instead, he left.

\----------------------------------

Turns out what Blue needed was a certain spunky boy from Johto. Gold had charged into his life headfirst and refused to be shaken off. He was like a burr, spiky, annoying, clingy, and a bit dense. He had come barging into his room all firey and confident, barking out a challenge to the former Champion Blue. Red was missing, he already fought Lance, he refused to go until he got to fight the legendary Blue.

Blue acted like he was still mad that Daisy let Gold in, but he really wasn’t. Even _he_ had to admit that the kid was pretty good and a good battle was what helped raise his spirits. Life had carried on after that. With the urging of Gold and Lance, Blue eventually took over the Viridian Gym, and effectively made it one of the hardest to beat in Kanto. Daisy was relieved he wasn’t actually going to become a shut-in. Gramps didn’t seem to care but at least he congratulated him on taking over the Gym. And of course, now he had Gold there bugging him for a friendly battle most weekends. Things were… okay.

Of course, there was still something missing. It wasn’t the title of Champion. No, it was the rival who stole that from him. When he first lost he was bitter and upset. Not even a full day had passed before Red barged in and took his dream. Gramps always liked Red better but the way he tried to belittle him was just salt in the wound. He was angry and left before even considering to congratulate Red. He regretted that now.

A little after a week he had gotten the news that the current Champion had gone missing. Disappeared without a note. All they found in his chambers at the League were blue petals and a few used up potions. At first he didn’t care, but eventually his concern won out. Their relationship had been less than ideal during their journey around Kanto, but underneath it all, Blue still cared. Of course he did, Red was his childhood friend, rival or not. It was easy to stick the blame on him when he always felt two steps behind, but it was never really Red’s fault. It was his own.

That had all been about a month ago. There had still been little word on where Red had gone or if he’d be back. Blue wasn’t necessarily scared if he was alive. He had come to the conclusion Red left of his own accord and he was well aware the other could keep himself safe, especially with his Pokemon by his side. That didn’t mean he couldn’t miss him though.

That all changed when Gold burst through his door ten minutes before the Gym closed on a Wednesday. He was panting and all out of breath, his cheeks flush and coat ripped as if he had been in such a hurry he ran through the brush in the woods rather than take the path. Noticing the leaves in his hood, Blue realized he may have done just that.

“Blue!” He wheezed out, hands on his knees. “I f-found him!” Blue instantly knew who he meant.

“Where?” He asked sharply. There was a ding as someone came through the Gym doors and Blue held up a hand. “We’re closed. Come back tomorrow.”

“What? The sign says we still have like seven minutes!”

“Tomorrow.” Blue heard muttering as the unhappy trainer left but he couldn’t care less. Being nice wasn’t in the job description. “Where?” He repeated, staring intensely at Gold.

Gold straightened himself out and gave a shake of the shoulders, trying to warm himself up. “Mount Silver. I wanted a challenge so my Pokemon and I climbed to the top and there he was! I… Ah, what are you doing?”

Blue dug around in his bag, trying to swap his Gym Pokemon for his regular ones. “I’m going to go get him.”

“Wait for morning at least!” Gold tried to reason with him “It’s getting late and you’re probably tired. It’s gonna be hard to climb the mountain in the dark. We don’t need another Champion to go missing.”

Blue paused at this. Reluctantly he dropped everything back into his bag. “I’m not a Champion. But you’re probably right.”

“Besides… He wasn’t quite… As I imagined.” Gold fiddled with the tear in his jacket. “He wasn’t crazy or anything! Just… Not well.”

“What do you mean?” Blue’s eyes narrowed. “If he was quiet that’s not weird. For him at least. He just doesn’t talk.”  
  
“I know that! That wasn’t it at all. Here,” Gold snagged Blue’s keys off his belt. “Let’s lock up here and I can tell you what all happened.”

Just like everyday, the walk from the Gym back to his house only took about fifteen minutes but it still felt like hours. Hearing about Red’s location had lit a fire back up inside of him and he was raring to go. He tossed his bag down on his couch then followed after it with a thud, tapping his foot impatiently as Gold fought to get the leaves out of his clothes.

Eventually the younger trainer deemed it was good enough and took his spot in the armchair across from Blue. “Alright so,” he fiddled with the pillow propped behind him as he tried to think of the words to say. “Red is sick. Pretty sick, too.”

“Sick? With what?”

“Well, it was pretty weird and I honestly couldn’t believe what I saw. I asked Crystal about it, she’s pretty smart you know. It took her awhile to find what I was talking about, but she figured it out. The condition was pretty unique afterall. But it was fine because it took me a bit to get back here anyways.”

“Spit it out already. What’s wrong with him? And why did he run away?”

“He’s got this thing called Hanahaki. I’m pretty sure at least, I don’t know what else could have him hacking up flower petals while we fought. It might be why he left but l wasn’t really able to just ask that.”

“Hanahaki…?” Blue frowned. “You said he was coughing out petals? Flower petals? That can’t be right.”

“I swear that’s what I saw! I tried asking him about it but like you said, he doesn’t like to talk. We had a pokemon battle and after I won he just walked away.”

“You found the missing Champion, realized he was sick, then asked for a fight?” Blue asked incredulously.

“He didn’t start puking em up until the middle of the fight! He looked kinda pale but I figured it was just from being in the snow all this time!” Gold shook his head. “Crystal said it’s a super rare condition too. Only like three people a year might get it, so there’s not a lot known about it. Even the way you get it sounds dumb. Crystal wasn’t even sure if it was true or folklore.”

“How do you get it?” Blue grabbed his bag back and started sorting through it. There was no way he was going to sit around waiting. He’d get ready tonight and leave right away in the morning. He wouldn’t let Red run away again.

“Unrequited love.”

“What?”

“Exactly. It’s one thing to be love sick but this is just overkill. Who would he even be in love with anyways? I can’t exactly see him romancing it up and taking some chick out to dinner. He doesn’t even talk! Someone might be into his whole cool guy champion act but after awhile it’s gotta get boring! I’m with Crystal’s theory that it’s just folklore, there’s gotta be something else.”

Blue had zoned out during Gold’s ramble. _Love._ That word bounced around in his head and settled in his stomach in an uncomfortable way. Yeah, it might be just a story but in a world where your pet could freeze over the town or send lighting flying, how far fetched was it really? And if it were true, then that meant Red was so madly in love with someone he would, for some dumb reason, run away to live on a freezing mountain. Blue didn’t like that for some reason.

Blue thought back to the day they learned Red went missing. They found petals back then too. And now that he thought about it, there was also that one time back when they were both still trying to get the badges. He ended up sharing camp with Red and two other trainers just outside Vermilion City. He woke up early to get a head start on Red and noticed some blue petals by the now dead fire. He brushed it off as nothing then, and he sure wasn’t going to bother asking him about it, but if that was connected to this then that meant Red had been pining after this person all this time.

“Ask Crystal to send me the stuff she found on it.”

“Man, I figured you’d be pretty serious about this but you’re _really_ serious.” Gold leaned flopped back in his seat. “I’ll just forward the links, yeah? Go to sleep. It’ll make the time go by faster.”

“Fine. I’ll assume you’re staying here so you get the couch.”

“Bleh!”

“Bleh yourself, you little parasite! Call next time you plan to crash here and maybe you’ll get a bed.”

“I had urgent news!” Blue ignored this and gave a small backhanded wave to the younger trainer as he slipped away to his room. He had to admit, picking on Gold was a pastime he had learned to enjoy. Gold liked to nag at him too so it was only fair after all.

\----------------------------------

Blue woke up before the sun had barely broken the surface. He moved quickly and quietly, doing his best to sneak away before Gold had the chance to wake up. He knew the younger trainer would be angry when he got back but something inside Blue told him he had to do this alone. He gently shut the door behind him and on shaking legs summoned his Pidgeot from it’s ball. He hopped onto its back and pointed towards the sky, clinging on tight to his Pokemon as it took off silently.

After he had gotten far enough away, Blue pulled up the links Gold had sent to him the night before. He was right, the trip would take awhile so he might as well use the articles as a distraction. He didn’t want to think about what he’d actually do when he got there, assuming Red hadn’t jumped ship after being found out by Gold.

Blue soon realized after reaching the mountain that simply flying to the top wouldn’t be possible. The wind was whipping around much too strongly and he refused to put his Pidgeot through the struggle of safely flying through it. Instead,he backtracked to the base of the mountain and went in through the ominous cave mouth. He didn’t bother stopping by the Pokemon Center, with any luck his determination would get him through quickly enough.

Calling his Pidgeot back, Blue sprayed himself down with a repel and headed through the cold tunnels of the cave. Without the frosty wind blowing in his face his mind reverted back to Red. As much as he refused to give up this opportunity to see him again, to get some answers, he still struggled to make his feet move. For all he knew, Red never wanted to see him again. He _had_ been a massive jerk to him all throughout his journey. Red never seemed to take it seriously but he was a master of the poker face. Blue had definitely considered the idea that he might have been the reason Red disappeared. Hearing that it might have actually been because he was lovesick didn’t make him feel any better.

With a scowl, Blue shook his head. He had just been telling himself to stop thinking about it but here he was. Thinking about it. “This is stupid.” He hissed as he scrambled up a steep ledge. “Out of all the places to hide…”

Finally, after what seemed like way too long yet not long enough, Blue found his way outside. He still had a bit to go to get to the top but he was close. He gave a shudder as he trudged through the snow. He hadn’t really thought about how cold it would be and neglected to bundle up. His determination kept him going but his fingers were already cold from gripping the stone inside the mountain so it really wasn’t a good time.

His jacket billowed up around him as he scaled the last few feet. The mountain top flattened out at the top. Blue could see signs of what he assumed had been Gold’s Battle with Red. A chunk of rock that had been broken off the side of the mountain, churned up earth, and flattened down snow. Something else caught his eyes too. Light blue petals were smashed into the snow. The white backdrop managed to make even them stick out in a way that Blue couldn’t ignore. There was an unpleasant twinge in his chest.

From the corner of his eye he noticed a strange flicker. Swiveling on frozen feet, he realized there was a small opening in the mountain side that he wouldn’t have even seen if he wasn’t at the top already. There seemed to be some sort of light source inside just out of view. A fire perhaps? His frozen body perked up at the thought. His mind however connected the dots. A fire must mean… “Red.” He breathed out quietly. Finally. Too soon.

Blue stumbled towards the light, following a trail of crushed and torn petals. As he got closer he realized he could hear a harsh wet noise. His footsteps slowed and he peeked around the lip of the cave. And there he was.

Red was crouched with his back facing Blue. He had an arm propping himself against the rough stone wall of the cave while he hacked up something into his other hand. His Charizard was curled up nearby, his fiery tail angled towards his trainer. Pikachu was nuzzling against Red’s thigh with a concerned expression. Blue petals lay everywhere.

Charizard seemed to hear as Blue took another step forward. He raised his head and gave a low rumbling noise in warning. Red immediately sprung to his feet, dropping the petals in his hand with an unstable wobble. His eyes widened as he realized just who was here and he froze in place. Blue was finally able to get a good look at his old friend. It was… shocking, to say the least. His skin was horribly pale and his eyes were sunken in with deep bags to match. He honestly looked half dead. Much worse than Gold had made it sound, that brat.

A long moment stretched between them, neither boy daring to move. It was finally broken when Pikachu broke away from Red’s side to dash over to Blue. He scrambled up Blue’s pant leg and back, eventually finding a perch on his shoulder. The small yellow Pokemon let out a series of stern sounding chirps and lightly smacked Blue with his tail. Red seemed to finally relax at this. He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded at Blue with the quiet confidence Blue had come to associate with him.

Blue gave Pikachu a small pat before shuffling forwards, happy to get away from the cold wind outside. “I heard you were hiding out up here.” He started. “Kinda rude of you to leave us in the dark like that. People were worried.” Red gave a shrug and Blue felt a small prick of annoyance. “You could have at least told us you were alive.” Nothing.

Another beat of silence. “Why’d you come up here Red?” Blue hated the way his voice sounded when he said that. “Why’d you leave?” His voice cracked and Pikachu pat his cheek lightly before hopping back over to Red.

Red seemed to debate this question for a bit. Eventually he lowered himself back down to the ground and pat the spot beside him, gesturing for Blue to sit down. Charizard gave a huff and laid his head back down. Red brushed his hand over the floor, raking together a small pile of petals. Some were still glistening with his spit.

“Is that why?” Blue already knew the answer but he didn’t want it confirmed. Red gave a small nod of the head and Blue’s heart twisted in an uncomfortable way. He knew why that happened too. He slumped back against the wall. “So then, let’s go find her, yeah?”

Red turned to face him, a weird look on his face that was somewhere between confusion and sadness. Blue didn’t know why. “It’s gotta be better than sitting here wasting away. We find the person who’s got you all messed up and get her to understand just how much you love her.” His voiced twisted at the word love and he picked up one of the petals. “She’s gotta understand, yeah? If she lets you suffer like this even after we explain then she’s not even worth it. You… You need to get better. I was reading about this all on the way up here. The flowers will-”

Red let out a loud cough, petals fluttering from his mouth. He doubled over and clutched at his chest, a gross wet noise escaping him as he dry heaved. Blue immediately lunged forward, grabbing Red’s shoulders with a worried cry. Pikachu paced back and forth, his ears twitching. Red’s shoulders were shaking by the time he got his lungs to settle. He looked upwards into Blue’s eyes, that sad look on his face again. He shook his head slowly.

“N-no?” Blue stuttered. “But why not? How could this possibly be any better than telling her! Red, you’re going to die!” He himself took in a deep shuddery breath. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you, please. I’ve only just found you, don’t make me lose you again.”

Something seemed to click for Red and his expression shifted back to unreadable. Almost hesitantly he reached up and lightly pressed his hands to Blue’s face. He watched Blue’s eyes for a moment or two then shook his head again. Before Blue could say anything he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the other’s.

Blue was frozen in shock until a violent shiver worked its way through Red’s body, snapping him back to reality. He wrapped his arms around Red’s shoulders, deepening the kiss with a somewhat fearful desperation. His mind was a mantra of, “Red, Red, Red.”

Eventually Red pulled back, ducking his head down and butting Blue lightly in the shoulder. His hands were shaking as he lowered them then pressed them against Blue’s chest as if to say _‘You’_. Blue simply pulled Red into a tight hug, his guilt pooling around him. Was he really the one who did this to Red? He had had no idea. This whole time… His heart was hammering loudly in his chest at the implications of what just happened. What he just complied with.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I didn’t… I should have…”

Red shook his head and looked back up. He had a fierce look in his eyes that said _‘Don’t you dare apologize’._ Even after all this time Blue could still read his rival’s face with ease but it didn’t make him feel any better. He couldn’t help but think back to all the things he had said to Red during their travels. Why did he let the competition get the best of him like that? And why did Red still love him for it? It didn’t make any sense to him but then again, what sense did the petals make? This was all so weird.

Blue took a deep breath. “Come back with me.” He said firmly. “Everyone misses you. _I_ miss you.” He wanted to say ‘I love you’ but the words got stuck in his throat. Red seemed to understand just fine though. He gave a small hesitant smile then nodded. Then he shuddered again with a deep wheeze that came deep from his chest.

With a frown Blue gently rubbed at Red’s back. He had Red’s compliance but no idea on how to clear his lungs of those Arceus-forsaken flowers. None of the articles he read had any solid cure, just theories and speculation. It would probably be best to get him back to Vermilion, or at the very least off this mountain. The clean and crisp air may have been helping him at the start, but Blue doubted it was doing much now. He himself felt half frozen and he wasn’t even sick.

Blue realized that while he was debating with himself over that Red had started to fall asleep on him, shivering all the while. His eyelids were drooping and his fists loosely clenched and unclenched as he stared off into space. Blue gently nudged him to get his attention. “Hey,” he murmured. “We should probably get going, yeah? I don’t think we’ll find much to help you up here.”

Red nodded slowly and scooted backwards to push himself onto his feet. He still wobbled a bit but seemed to be more or less okay. Until his leg gave out and he stumbled forward. Blue lunged forwards to catch him but at the last second Red caught himself and held out a hand towards Blue, gesturing that he was fine. Charizard got to his feet with a yawn. He stretched out his wings before lumbering over to Red and allowing him to clamber onto his back.

“The wind was too strong before, I don’t think flying down is the best idea.” Blue mentioned, cautiously eyeing up Charizard as Pikachu bunkered down between his head and Red. Red shook his head and Charizard gave an offended huff. Red pointed to Blue and then himself, _‘follow me’_.

“I’ve got extra repels, it really wouldn’t be too hard to go back down through the mountain.” Blue grumbled but he was already clicking the button on Pidgeot’s pokeball. To be fair, Red had spent much more time up here than he had so he must know the whims of Mount Silver better than Blue ever would. He trusted him. Whatever though, Blue was just ready to leave.

\----------------------------------

By the time they got back to Viridian it was already starting to get dark out. That was just fine with Blue, with any luck they’d be able to avoid any curious eyes or upset challengers who missed him today. To his surprise his front door was unlocked when they arrived and he could see a light on through the blinds. With a frown, Blue rested his hand on his Pokeballs before stepping inside. Red trailed after him looking around with a detached expression.

Blue could hear the television on in the living room and quietly headed towards the noise. Plopped on the couch was Gold and Crystal, a bowl of chips between them and some rerun of a Johto battle tournament on the screen. He let out a sigh of relief and leaned over the back of the couch. “What are you two doing here?”

Crystal let out a surprised yelp and jumped. Gold simply turned his head to glance at Blue with a sheepish look. “Welcome home! I invited Crystal over while I waited for you to get back.”

“I thought you said you asked him this time!” Crystal protested. She shoved the bowl into Gold’s lap. “I swear, he told me you were fine with it. I didn’t ask you myself because I didn’t want to distract you while you were on Mount Silver.”

“You’re fine, Crystal.” Blue gave her a small smile then shot a stern look to Gold. “He’s the one who smuggled you in. And probably the one who decided to eat all my food again.”

“Hey! I left the soda alone this time, you should be grateful. Besides, I…” Gold trailed off, finally taking note of the other person in the room. He sprung forward, half falling off the back of the couch. “Red! You’re here! You-”

“Shut up already! The neighbors are gonna complain again.” Blue swatted at the younger trainer. “This is why you always get the couch.”

“Not fair! Hey, where are you going?” Red gave a small shrug as he wandered down the hall. Blue wanted to follow after him, especially when he noticed Red was leaning pretty heavily against the wall but if he went then Gold would too and he really needed to contain the kid first.

“You two shouldn’t have stuck around here waiting for me you know.” He pushed Gold back down into the couch. “For all you know I could have ducked out for a couple days.”

“Nah, if you left for more than twenty four hours then all your food really _would_ be gone!” Gold chirped. “Instinct took over and brought you back to keep it safe. Though I really should have eaten it, it would have served you right for leaving without me.”

Crystal nudged him in the side. “ _I_ wanted to try and help more.” She gave a small shrug. “I figured you’d want to help Red so I tried to do more research on Hanahaki.”

“Oh. Find anything?” Blue glanced back towards the hall but Red had disappeared through one of the doors.

“Sorta. There’s no official ‘cure’ but a couple of people had stories on how they or their families dealt with it.” She fiddled with the edge of her jacket. “Some people said finding out their crush liked them back ended up clearing it out after a day or two. A couple other people said something about killing their feelings to kill the flowers but how they did that was kinda vague. The other result was, well, undesirable. I could probably try messaging someone and ask them what they meant by killing their feelings, though a lot of those posts are kinda old at this point.”

Blue instantly shook his head. “That’s not… No. Stash that plan away for later.” He felt selfish saying that. For all he knew Red would be more than willing to get rid of his feelings for Blue. Heck, even just thinking that made Blue’s guts curl in a weird way. It was hard for him to believe that out of everyone, he was the person Red had fallen in love with. That he was the one to cause him so much trouble. He still wasn’t sure what to think about it all, just that he wanted the other to be okay.

“If you’re staying here I can go get the cot.” Blue offered, changing the topic so he could think on it by himself. “One of you can take that and the other gets the couch. I should have extra blankets in the closet from winter yet.”

“If it’s not any trouble, that would be great.” Crystal replied with a smile. “It’s kinda dark out now anyways. I could still head over to the Pokemon center but this would be a bit better.”

“I’m taking the cot.” Gold butted in. He set the almost empty chip bowl on the coffee table and stretched out his arms. “I had to take the couch last night and I’m really not a fan.”

Blue left the two to bicker over it while he went over to the closet to dig everything out. He helped Crystal unfold the cot and tossed the extra blanket at her. “Make sure to shut the lights off. And for the love of Arceus, be quiet. I wasn’t kidding when I said the neighbors complain.”

“If it’s a problem then they should just move.” Gold smirked. “I for one, would love to be my own neighbor.”

“You don’t live here. You don’t have to worry about the angry neighbors when you leave.” Blue tossed a pillow at the arrogant kid’s head.

“He’s right you know,” Crystal chimed in from the cot. “You really can be a nuisance, I should know.”

“Hey!” Gold chucked the pillow back at her.

“Go to sleep.” Blue groaned. He turned to go, giving a small sigh as Crystal yelped out a goodnight then smacked Gold with her own pillow. Those two were going to get him kicked out eventually. Why did he even still let them into his house? _‘Because you’ve become fond of them.’_ A voice in his head reminded him. Yeah, whatever.

Blue figured he could go drop off his belt with all his pokeballs in his room then find where Red wandered off to. He’d have to find a spot to let him sleep for the night, with the couch and cot both taken he was a bit low on beds. Once that was figured out he could finally go to sleep himself. It had been a long day and he really needed it. That was a bit of wistful thinking though. He knew as soon as he laid down he’d start thinking about everything that happened and work himself up way too much to actually sleep. It was a habit he’d always had and probably always would.

The door to his bedroom was cracked open when he reached the end of the hall. Thinking nothing of it, Blue shuffled in, unclipping his bag and belt from his pants. He dropped them onto his desk, taking note of all the paperwork for the Gym he still had to even look at. He internally groaned as he knew he’d get another pretty pile for skipping out on it today. Lance really could be a bastard.

A small rasping noise caught his attention and he spun around, quickly realizing he wasn’t alone. Red and Pikachu had curled up on one side of the bed, both already fast asleep despite Red’s somewhat troubled breathing. A small smile flickered onto his face. Blue realized this must be the first time in awhile that Red’s actually slept in a bed, he didn’t see much in the way of comfort up in that cave.

That brought up another problem though. Blue wasn’t about to wake him up, Red had been too tired to even undress. His shoes and hat sat on the floor neatly by the bed and that was about it. There really wasn’t anywhere else to sleep with Gold and Crystal in the living room. When he first started living here he had expected to just stick to himself but now his home was basically at capacity.

Still, Red _was_ laying pretty close to the edge of the bed. Blue had made sure to get a nice big bed when he first moved in as his Arcanine would sometimes hop up and try to share whenever he left him out of the pokeball. If he just laid on the other side it really shouldn’t be a problem, right? Blue felt his face grow warm at the idea and cursed himself for being dumb about it. Grumbling to himself, he slid his jacket off and tossed it to the floor before clambering in. The only reason it was weird to him now was that dumb kiss, when they were younger they’d share all the time without a fuss.

Blue realized as he slid under the cover that Red had only draped the topmost blanket over himself. He supposed after being up on the peak of Mount Silver, his house would feel a lot warmer. He followed suit, laying on top of the other blankets because he didn’t want to accidentally wake him when he tugged the sheets from under him.

His body happily sunk into the bed, glad to be away from the cold winds from earlier and back home. Blue rolled onto his side and stared at Red’s back. He felt the guilt pecking away at him again. When he had been flying over to the mountain he read all he could about the Hanahaki disease. As he read he only felt more and more resolved to help Red deal with it. He tried to imagine what it would be like to puke up petals like that and shuddered. As much as he disliked the idea of Red running off with some girl, he knew he’d help him get her over and over again as many times as he needed to to make sure he’d be okay.

Imagine his surprise when Red had leaned over to kiss _him_ of all people. Blue already knew he was in love with Red, of course he did. He’d figured that out before they even left on their Pokemon journey. For him though, it had been easy to push away and ignore for the sake of his goals. He wanted to become Champion and Red was a threat to that. The cruel words and mean gestures slipped past his lips and hands easily enough. It created the distance between them that he needed to charge forward and not look back.

Or so he thought. He always knew Red would eventually come and take the title of Champion from him. He just didn’t think it would happen so soon. After he lost he did a lot of thinking. Part of the reason he wanted to be Champion so badly was to finally impress his grandfather. He was always mad that Gramps liked Red more so he used that to fuel their rivalry. He knew it was never Red’s fault that he had failed as a grandchild but it was so much _easier_ to lash out that way.

What Blue still couldn’t wrap his head around was _why_ Red liked him even after all that. He had a feeling Red knew, or at the very least had an idea, about why he acted the way he did towards him, but was that really enough to look past it? Blue didn’t think so. Still, it wasn’t like he got to decide that for Red.

Blue let out a small sigh and reached forward, gently pressing his fingers against Red’s back. If loving him back would help him, of course Blue would do it. He just hated how it felt like he was taking advantage of the situation because of how he already felt.

His fingers trailed across Red’s back, his former embarrassment gone now that he was lost in thought. Maybe he _should_ have Crystal try to contact those people. As much as he didn’t like it, if Red wanted to try and get rid of his feelings for him Blue wouldn’t be the one to stop him.

He felt Red’s shoulders tense under his hand and moment later the boy was letting out yet another harsh cough. He curled in on himself as the cough got worse and Blue felt a sharp twinge of sympathy. He sat up in bed and reached over to gently push the black hair out of Red’s face with a frown. Red’s eyes blinked open and he glanced up at Blue for a split second before smacking a hand up to his mouth.

Blue grabbed onto Red’s shoulders and carefully tugged him into a sitting position, much to Pikachu’s dismay. The small pokemon gave a squeak of protest and nuzzled his face back into the blanket, barely even waking up. Once the coughing had subsided, Red let his hand fall from his mouth, showcasing three more petals glistening on his palm.

Red closed his fist around them then closed his eyes, tilting his head back against the wall. Blue hesitated for a moment before reaching over and taking Red’s hand in his own. He could feel the wet petals between their hands as he gently rested his head on Red’s shoulder. Red didn’t seem to react much to this aside from a small squeeze to Blue’s hand.

They sat like that for awhile before Blue spoke, his words soft yet still loud in the quiet of the night. “You know, if I ask I think Crystal would be able to find out how to get rid of the flowers for sure.” Red opened his eyes at this, tilting his head forward again and eyeing up Blue. “If you… If you can figure out how to get rid of your love then…” He looked down at their hands. “If you don’t love me anymore then they should die. Your lungs would clear up and you wouldn’t have to worry about choking on petals anymore.”

Red slid his hand away from Blue’s and for a moment Blue figured that was answer enough. Of course he would want to try that, why on earth wouldn’t he? But then Red was grabbing his cheeks and forcing him to look into his eyes. He firmly shook his head no, his determination evident on his face.

“Listen though,” Blue started. He tugged the other’s hands off his face. “I don’t know what else we can really do. If you die… Well. I’d rather you never want to look at me again instead of having to watch you wither away. I- I love you, alright? I’d take indifference over your death any day!”

Red stared at him with wide eyes. It took Blue a moment to realize it was because he had said it out loud. “I love you.” He repeated softly. He knew he had kissed Red back before when they were up on the mountain but saying those words out loud left a different feeling in his heart. If the pink colour working its way across his face was any indication, he’d say Red probably thought the same way.

The moment was broken when Red suddenly flinched back, grabbing at his gut with a pained expression. A loud wheeze broke out of him and Blue was instantly rubbing his back, frustrated that there wasn’t more he could do. His body gave a violent shudder and he let out a retching noise that managed to wake up Pikachu. The pokemon had a brief moment of confusion before he was at Red’s side, an unhappy expression on his face.

Blue cringed as a flurry of petals erupted from Red’s mouth. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes as a glob of blue forced its way up his throat. With a start, Blue realized he had just spat out a whole flower. Two more worked their way up along with a few more petals. After a long excruciating moment, Red gave one last empty cough before slumping over and leaning heavily into Blue’s side.

Blue gently rubbed Red’s arm as he stared down at the flowers sitting in his lap. “We have to figure something out,” he finally said. He could feel Red shake his head into his shoulder. “This can’t keep going on like this.”

Red reached for Blue’s hand and pressed it firmly against his chest. He took a deep breath that started a bit shaky but grew stronger as his lungs filled with air. Another deep breath and what Red was trying to show him clicked. Blue dropped his head down and pressed his ear against the other’s chest. Another deep breath. “It sounds… clear.” He sat back up and Red nodded with a tired looking smile.

Blue didn’t want to get his hopes up over this but he couldn’t help but smile back. “We’re gonna have to keep an eye on you until we’re sure it’s actually gone,” he murmured. Pikachu busied himself with shoveling the flowers off the bed and onto the floor. “Even if they are, maybe we should still get someone who actually knows what they’re doing to check you over. Your throat probably isn’t perfectly fine after all that and-”

He was cut off from the start of his tangent by Red pressing a finger to his lips. ‘ _Quiet’._ Red patted the pillow before laying back down. This time he faced towards Blue. Pikachu nudged Red’s check with his nose before dashing down and finding a spot for himself in the crook of Red’s legs.

“Alright, yeah. Sleep. Sleep is good.” Blue followed suit, bunching up the blanket over his shoulders. He and Red locked eyes and just sort of stared at one another before Red snapped his shut, a silent laugh on his lips. Without thinking about it Blue leaned forward and stuck a quick kiss to Red’s forehead. Red pressed his face into the pillow but Blue caught the grin break out across his face before it was hidden. He didn’t bother to hide his.

At long last, Blue was able to fall asleep, Red by his side.


End file.
